Did God Lose Control?
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:21-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. . . . He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
In the play Requiem for a Nun, the author, William Faulkner, says through one of the characters that after God created everything, he lost control. Things simply got out of hand, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Did God lose control? Sometimes we might wonder. We listen to the news and watch what’s happening around us, and we may wonder, “Is anyone in charge?” We read about violence and poverty, about wars without end, about natural disasters and personal tragedies, and we might ask, “Did Faulkner have it right when he said that God lost control?”
Let’s see what the Bible says in our reading for today. The prophet asks, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God. . . .” God directs all the action in the universe—from the stars and planets in space to the rise and fall of rulers and nations in this world. We may not understand how, but God is firmly in control.
Our daily news doesn’t tell the whole story. Our God reigns; he is in charge. And until he comes again, there will be wars and rumors of wars and poverty and persecution. But until then, the Savior, whose birth we celebrate this month, also says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. . . . And . . . I am with you always” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Lord, help us always to remember that you are in charge. And give us eyes of faith to see the ways you are at work in our world each day. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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